Rape, Murder in Bus: NHRC for maximum punishment of culprits
The National Human Rights Commission yesterday called for the most exemplary punishment of the culprits who “gang-raped” and killed law student Rupa Khatun in a moving bus in Tangail five days ago.
The commission in a statement urged the government to conduct a fair investigation into the murder case in the shortest possible time and submit the charge sheet along with a proper medical report and evidence to the court.
“Due to a culture of impunity, 88 percent accused in cases linked to violence against women, including murder, rape and torture, are being acquitted,” said NHRC Chairman Kazi Reazul Hoque.
This happens mainly due to weaknesses in cases and financial and political influence, he added.
The killing of Rupa has surpassed medieval barbarism. Violence against women has increased recently in the country at an alarming rate, the NHRC chief said.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Rukhe Darao, a platform of progressive and pro-liberation forces, in another statement yesterday said the country saw recurrent rape incidents, but the government did little to ensure justice.
Expressing grave concern over the recent rise in violence against women, the organisation said culprits became reckless due to authorities' failure in ensuring justice.
“Several rape incidents took place in public transport. Except for one or two incidents, justice has not been served. Some sporadic protests were staged after the incidents, but there was no wave of demonstrations like those held following the rape and killing of Yasmin in Dinajpur,” read the statement.
On the night of August 25, three staffers of a bus allegedly raped Rupa before breaking her neck and throwing her body in a secluded area in Tangail's Pachish Mile. She was on way to Mymensingh from Bogra after taking a job test.
Tangail police recovered her body around 11:00pm that night and arrested bus driver Habibur Rahman Habib, 40, supervisor Gendu Miah, 50, and helpers Shamim, 30, Akram, 35, and Jahangir, 20.
Daughter of Jelhaz Pramanik from Tarash upazila of Sirajganj, Rupa had completed Masters in Accounting from Government Azizul Haque College, Bogra in 2014. The following year, she started studying LLB at Ideal Law College in the capital.
BODY EXHUMED
Police yesterday afternoon exhumed Rupa's body from Tangail Central Graveyard and handed it over to her family for burial at her village.
Tangail Executive Magistrate Abdur Rahim Sujon, Kaiyum Khan Siddique, in-charge of Aronkhola Police Outpost in Madhupur, also the investigating officer of the case, and Rupa's elder brother Hafizur Paramanik were present.
Earlier in the morning, Tangail District Magistrate Khan Mohammad Nurul Amin passed an order to exhume the body after hearing a petition of Hafizur.
Following an autopsy, police on August 26 had buried her at the Tangail graveyard as an unidentified woman. Sub-Inspector Aminul Islam of Aronkhola Police Outpost on the same day filed the murder case against unidentified criminals in this regard.
Seeing news and her photo in media, Rupa's family members on Monday identified the victim as Rupa.
Law enforcers early on Tuesday arrested the five bus staffers from Tangail's Madhupur.
Police said the arrestees during interrogation admitted their involvement in the crime. A Tangail court later sent them to jail after they gave confessional statements under section 164 of CrPC to a senior judicial magistrate in Tangail on Tuesday and Wednesday.
VILLAGE IN SHOCK
A mood of shock and grief descended on Ashanbari village in Tarash upazila after the news of Rupa's rape and death broke.
“My mother fell sick after hearing that Rupa was no more. Nobody could console her as my sister was holding our family's dream,” her brother Hafizur told this newspaper yesterday.
Her mother Hasna Hena Begum, 55, was crying and fainting frequently in the last couple of days. She was admitted to Tarash Upazila Health Complex on Wednesday night.
Sajib Roy, medical officer at the health complex, said they gave treatment to the patient as she suffered a mental shock.
Md Jafar Iqbal, principal of Tarash Degree College and also a teacher of Rupa, said her death reminds all parents that their children were not safe.
“Being a father myself, I can't tolerate such a brutality,” he said.
Meanwhile, the victim's body reached Ashanbari village last evening. Her family members said she would be buried at the family graveyard at night.
Our Tangail and Pabna correspondents contributed to this report.